Organizations recognize that the leader’s role has shifted post-Covid. Or, as one of our interviewees neatly put it, “It may be the same job, but the way you do it is different.” Most people will need to adapt their leadership styles to meet the new demands of the hybrid working model – and the more support they get to make that transition, the better. It also has a clear impact on how organizations approach leadership recruitment. Below, we outline some of the key leadership competencies that organizations should be targeting in a world of hybrid work.
Communication
All great leaders are great communicators. Since the pandemic, however, the way in which leaders are required to communicate has changed. Being able to hold the attention of everybody in the room is still important. But they must now be able to engage people in virtual environments as well, where audiences are less captive and where authority has to be well and truly earned. In short, it’s about exercising the communication muscle harder and more often. Leaders also need to listen more and adjust to the individual needs of people in their teams.
Adaptability
Companies are putting more emphasis on leaders who are flexible and agile. All good leaders need to adapt to changing circumstances. With team members working in different locations and, often, at different times, it becomes impossible to take a one-size-fits-all approach to team management.
Empathy
The pandemic reset expectations about leadership roles. During those first few months of fear and uncertainty, employees were looking to their leaders not just for vision and direction but also for recognition, understanding, care and support. And many are continuing to look for it. There’s an expectation from employees that managers should care about them and their wellbeing, rather than just thinking about whether they’re doing a good job. This requires a more human, emotionally intelligent way of leading and managing people.
Vision
When team members are physically separated from each other, operating alone in remote workspaces or in their own home, there is a risk that they can become culturally and strategically separated too. For this reason, it is more important than ever that leaders are able to provide their team with a clear and coherent vision – and deliver it consistently through multiple channels and settings.
Hear from senior business and HR leaders from Europe, Asia Pacific and the US on how they are approaching recruiting new leaders and fostering collaboration, innovation and creativity in the hybrid world in Navigating the New Normal: Leadership after Covid. Download your copy below.
